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European Health Union: Political agreement on the Serious Cross-Border Threats to Health Regulation
The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached yesterday by the European Parliament and the Council on the Serious Cross-Border Threats to Health Regulation. The new rules are providing the EU with a comprehensive legal framework to govern joint action on preparedness, surveillance, risk assessment, and early warning and response.
Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, yesterday said:
“With today's agreement, we have a solid EU Health Security Framework that will allow us to detect, prepare and respond much better to future pandemics or other serious health threats. As all the European Health Union proposals are now on the table, we call on institutions to work together for their quick adoption.”
Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, yesterday said:
“Today we deliver on our political vision for a strong European Health Union. Over the past two years, we have reinforced our EU Agencies and set up a new European Health Emergency and Preparedness Authority, HERA, and today we are adding the most important health security pillar. As of now we also have a stronger cooperation framework to prevent, prepare and respond to cross-border health threats. COVID-19 is still with us and we see emerging health threats like monkeypox, against which our Health Union is needed today more than ever.”
The Regulation strengthens preparedness and response planning, and sets out the rules for an improved, flexible and integrated surveillance system. It also increases the capacity of the Union and its Member States to do accurate risk assessments and take targeted response actions, including joint procurement of medical countermeasures, such as vaccines and therapeutics.
The Regulation on Cross-border threats to health is the final pillar of the foundations of a stronger European Health Union. It follows the adoption of reinforced mandates for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the emergency framework regarding medical countermeasures.
Next steps
The Council and the European Parliament will now formally have to adopt the new regulation before it can enter into force.
Click here for the full press release
